Max Headroom: Cub
by ElegantButler
Summary: Out testing a new vidicam, Bryce decides to take on a report of his own.
1. Chapter 1

Max Headroom: Cub

By Axel Ingleson

Disclaimer: Max Headroom and his colleagues are the property of Max's current owners, who are not me.

-Chapter 01-

Theora Jones walked into the Control Room at Network 23. As she headed to her chair, she noticed one of the Controllers sitting anxiously at the computer across from hers.

"What've you got?" Theora asked.

"Bureau Burner," the other Controller replied.

"That's an extremely clear picture, Theora praised. "Well done."

"I don't deserve the credit," the Controller told Theora. "It's the vidicam, not the computer. He wanted to make sure it could send a good picture from a distance before he gave it to Edison."

"Who did?" Theora wanted to know.

"Bryce Lynch."

Theora hurried over to her own computer and linked to Edison's vidicam.

"Edison, we've found the Bureau Burner."

"Yeah, I was watching. Nice picture."

"I want you to get down there. Bryce is on it, but I want you to take over before he gets hurt."

"Bryce?" Edison asked in surprise. "What's he thinking taking on someone like that?"

"Apparently he was testing a new vidicam when he spotted the 'Burner and decided to go after him." Theora replied.

"Get Martinez over here," Edison instructed.

Bryce stopped as the Bureau Burner turned to confront him.

"Who are you?" The 'Burner demanded.

"Bryce Lynch. Network 23."

"I didn't realize they hired such young cubs at Network 23," The Bureau Burner said.

"Why?" Bryce inquired.

"Why what?"

"Why all the arson?"

"To get my point across, naturally," the older man explained.

"But after those notes, don't youthink most people take your acts as nothing more than mindless violence followed by really bad puns?"

"Maybe someone like you would. But I'm confident that most people will take me seriously."

"Those who do are more likely to want to see you in prison than agree with you," Bryce pointed out.

"The public enjoys violence."

"Not when it endangers them or the people they care about."

"Tell me that's not Bryce Lynch," Murray said as he walked in and heard Bryce's voice on the Control monitor.

"It is," Theora said.

"Who's he interviewing?"

"Bureau Burner," Theora explained.

"My god," Murray groaned. "If anything happens to him, Cheviot will have a fit. Tell Edison to get down there and take over."

"He's just arriving now."

Cheviot contacted Theora on her vu-phone link. "Mind telling me why our Head of Research and Development is out playing reporter?"

"He was field-testing a new vidicam," Theora explained. "I've sent Edison out to take over."

"Make sure nothing happens to Bryce," Cheviot instructed.

"Don't worry," Theora promised. "We will."

Martinez landed the helicopter a dozen yards from where Bryce was interviewing the Bureau Burner. At the same time, a metrocop van pulled up and six metros swarmed out.

"Don't move," the leader of the metrocop team said, as he and his colleagues drew their weapons.

Bryce lowered his vidicam as Edison approached him. "All yours, Edison."

Edison shook his head. "Not this time. You take this one."

Bryce nodded, then turned his vidicam on the Bureau Burner as the metrocops took the long sought after criminal into custody.

"This is Bryce Lynch, live and direct on Network 23. What you are now witnessing is the arrest of the Bureau Burner, a man who has been terrorizing this city for the past several months…"

Edison watched Bryce as the Bureau Burner was loaded into the metrocop van. Then he led the young genius back to the helicopter.


	2. Chapter 2

Max Headroom: 20 Minutes into the Future Cub

By Axel Ingleson

-Chapter Two-

What were you thinking? Murray demanded of Bryce as soon as the elevator doors opened just inside the entrance to the helipad.

I only wanted to test the vidicam I developed, Bryce explained. Is that really so hard to understand?

What s hard to understand is why you couldn t simply take it someplace safe and test it under controlled conditions.

I had a controller, Bryce pointed out.

That s not what I meant, and you know it, Murray grumbled.

The kid s a natural, Murray, Edison stated, matter-of-factly.

Don t encourage him, Murray warned.

I think that s exactly what we should do, Murray, suggested.

You re not planning on retiring? Murray was aghast at such a possibility.

Not for a while, Edison reassured him. But my time will come. And when it does, I d like to know someone I can trust will be ready to take over.

He s sixteen, Edison, Murray pointed out.

Only for two more weeks, Bryce pointed out.

Seventeen is still too young to be a reporter, Murray reminded them.

Oh, come on, Murray, Edison insisted. He s got talent. You heard his report. He might be a little raw in some places, but he s better than I was in the beginning.

I don t feel comfortable with it, Murray said. The answer is no.

At least we know the vidicam works, Bryce shrugged. I m going to head back up to my studio. I ve got a couple of things left to take care of for Cheviot.

Bryce stepped off the lift one level up from his studio and headed for the staircase.

We ll talk in an hour, Edison told him.

Okay with me, Bryce called back as the door to the stairwell swung shut.

As the doors to the lift slid closed, Murray turned to Edison. I really wish you wouldn t get his hopes up like that.

Murray, he s got talent.

One good presentation doesn t make a star reporter.

No, but it is a good springboard to launch a career from.

Edison

I ll take him under my wing for now, Edison promised. He ll be well protected.

I know I m going to regret this, but okay. As long as you swear you ll keep him out of trouble.

The doors opened onto the Control level and the two men stepped out.

Bryce okay? Theora asked.

He s fine, Edison reassured her.

For now, Murray grumbled.

What do you mean?

I ve talked Murray into giving Bryce a position as a field reporter, Edison explained. Bryce loves the idea. But Murray isn t so sure it s a good idea.

Will you be able to live with yourself when he gets killed? Murray asked.

He won t, Edison assured both Murray and Theora. I promised to protect him, and I will.

So, what s his next report? Theora asked. You can t expect him to take on something tame now that he s confronted someone like the Bureau Burner.

He ll take what s available, Murray said, firmly. We don t make things up just for ratings. He can go work at Breakthru TV if he wants to do that.

I m sure Bryce has enough integrity to stick with doing honest reports.

Murray was watching the list of available reports when he spotted one that caught his attention. He contacted Bryce.  
You want an assignment?

What ve you got?

Big fire. Since you handled the last report involving fire so well, I thought you might be able to handle this one.

I m as good as there, Bryce said, grabbing his vidicam as he made his way to the helipad.

You didn t tell them where the fire was, Theora told Murray as she watched Bryce and Edison depart on her Control monitor.

Martinez knows the location. I transmitted it to him. Murray said, sounding doubtful.

What s wrong?

Nothing, Murray said. I just wanted to see how Bryce would handle a crisis.

Where is that fire, Murray? Theora asked, worriedly.

Murray frowned.

ACS.


	3. Chapter 3

Max Headroom: 20 Minutes into the Future Cub

By Axel Ingleson

-Chapter Three-

"Murray! You can't send him to a story like that!" Theora protested. "What do you think will happen when he sees..."

"He wants to be a reporter. He's got to face the tough stuff sooner or later," Murray told her.

"You could've at least prepared him!" Edison argued. "I can't believe you'd just send him off to watch his old school burn down without even warning him."

"I sent you off on dangerous missions with little or no warnings many times when you were a cub. Did you really expect me to treat him any differently?"

"I expected you would at least demonstrate a little tact. He's a bit younger than I was when I became a cub reporter."

Theora was about to protest further when they heard a cry of alarm on the control monitor that signaled Bryce's arrival at the burning school. Turning back to the monitor, she spoke in what she hoped was a calming voice.

"Bryce, I'm sorry. Just try to pull it together. I know this is a difficult story for you to handle, but you can do it."

"Where the hell is the fire department? Where are the ambulances?" Bryce demanded. And why are the damned emergency doors closed?"

"Would you please try to not use language that's going to get the show canceled?" Murray snarled.

"I fried the censor computer last month," Bryce reminded him. "I can understand how you forgot about that, however. Especially since you forgot to tell me it was my old school that was burning to the ground. Martinez, can you see enough to land?"

"You're not..."

"Don't argue with me, damn it, just land this thing!" Bryce demanded. "Theora, cover me."

"No, Bryce, I won't let you do this."

"I'm going to help those kids whether you cover me or not," Bryce said, firmly. "This world's gene pool is lame enough without losing some of the brightest minds of the current generation. I'm not going to let that happen!"

Noticing that Martinez was not landing, he grabbed the controls with one hand and threw open the door with the other. Once the helicopter was on the ground, he leapt out, leaning forward, and ran for the front door of the school, which was also closed.

Not only closed. But locked. He ran around back to the recycling bins and found an old computer which was fairly heavy. Using what strength he could muster, he hurled it violently at the closest ground floor window he could find.

A thick black cloud billowed out and rose into the air.

Bryce entered the window, cutting his hands on the glass still embedded in the frame. Forcing himself to ignore the pain, he pulled out a couple of shards and then made his way over to a group of students who were huddled in the corner.

"Are there still students in the other classrooms?" he asked, as he lead them over to the window.

A girl of about ten nodded, frantically. Then she looked up at him. "Lynch."

"Yes. Did Nicholas tell you about me?"

"No, Grace did."

"Is she here?" Bryce asked, panic rising within him.

"She's helping adjust the telescope in the observatory," the girl told him. "It was damaged during Sky Clearance Day."

Bryce heard a noise at the window and saw Martinez using a maintenance tool from the helicopter to clear the glass from the frame. One by one, he lifted each child from the classroom and passed them outside to Martinez.

"Is that the last of them?" Martinez asked.

"There are others in different classrooms," Bryce told them. "Get these ones to safety. I'll try to get the others out the front door if I can."

"Bryce," Martinez reasoned, as gently as he could, "they might already be dead."

"I can't just assume that," Bryce told him. "Now go! Get them to safety!"

Martinez nodded, then led the six kids he and Bryce had rescued back to the location where the helicopter was waiting.

By that time, Murray drove up with Edison in one of the company cars.

"Where is Bryce?" Edison asked Martinez.

"He's inside," Martinez explained. "He and was out before I could stop him. He got these kids out okay, but he ran back in."

"It'll take hours to figure out where he's gone in this heat. We can't use the infrared."

"I know where he went," the girl who'd talked to Bryce said. "He was going to the observatory to rescue Grace and her classmates."

"Good girl," Murray told her. "Martinez, take Edison in the chopper and get up to the observatory! Get Bryce out of there! Now!"

As Martinez and Edison took off, another car pulled up. A couple in their early forties got out along with one in their late forties. Murray realized from the younger woman's appearance that she was Bryce's mother. His throat nearly closed up when he realized what he might have to tell her."

"Is my little girl still in there?" Maggie Lynch asked Murray. "My daughter, Grace. Is she in there?"

"Someone went in to get her," Murray reassured her.

"Please... let her be okay," Maggie pleaded. "I don't know what I would do if any of my children died. They mean so much to me. I miss my son Bryce so terribly. I wish I could see him again."

Murray's eyes darted toward the observation tower, then back again quickly. He hoped Bryce's mother hadn't notice.

She had.

"Both of my babies are in there?" she screamed. "What is Bryce doing here?"

"He wanted to be a reporter," Murray wailed, defensively. "I sent him to cover a story. I didn't expect him to change jobs and try being a freelance rescue dog!"

Maggie Lynch slapped Murray. "If my son dies, I will never forgive you!"


End file.
